Robert Whittaker Shuts Down “Primetime”

New Zealand’s Robert Whittaker now trains out of Australia, and he made sure to give the Melbourne crowd at UFC 193 something to cheer about.

Whittaker turned back the effort of Uriah Hall in a battle of Top-15 middleweights, scoring his fourth straight win via decision.

For the former Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes winner, it was a perfect time to use his default game plan. Whittaker (15-4) has has now bested Hall, Brad Tavares, Clint Hester and Mike Rhodes since a 2014 loss to Stephen Thompson.

“You simulate a fight so much and try to prepare as much as you can, but who can mimic (Hall?),” Whittaker said. “There were no adjustments. I use a default game plan to just throw punches.

“It seemed to work.”

Overall, Whittaker is 6-2 inside the Octagon, with his other loss coming to Court McGee. He finished with a plus-50 advantage in total strikes landed and was 67 of 144 in terms of significant strikes.

Hall (12-6), a recent winner over Gegard Mousasi, stepped in for Michael Bisping. He was fighting for the third time in less than 100 days.